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View From the Cheap Seats-Baylor
Trick's on the Longhorns
One has to go back to 2016 and CFS' season of ineptitude to find the Longhorns on a 3 game losing streak. Let's make it worse, they have now blown double digit leads in all 3 games. This on their way to finishing October with a 1-3 record, the worst Oct for the Longhorns since 1988 under David McWilliams. Once again the Longhorns found a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, this time low lighted by a complete lack of execution on the part of the players. 4 dropped passes, all at critical points of the game and 2 turnovers which were 100% on pass catchers was the difference between victory and defeat. We've been hard on Sark and his playcalling. Coming off a bye he discovered what other teams use regularly, we can actually throw to the TEs. OTOH, any chance of BiJan getting invited to NYC for the Heisman awards were dashed as he had his worst game of his TEXAS career. Baylor basically said, we're taking BiJan out of the game, if you can beat us with Casey and everyone else, go for it. Sadly while Casey was up to the task, his teammates failed him. No other way to say it, players needed to make plays and it was clear Jordan Whittington's absence was deeply missed. Casey wasn't perfect. Pressure kept him from getting his feet set and he missed a wide open Washington in the end zone. He also made a couple of bad reads but he also made play after play to keep the Horns alive.
The contrast between Baylor's last 2 coaching hires and TEXAS' last 3 is stark. Art Briles would lead Baylor to 2 Conference titles but a major scandal would lead to his firing. Baylor then hired Matt Rhule from Temple. He would go 1-11 his first year, 7-6 his 2nd and 11-1 in the regular season of his 3rd year to play for the Conference title. He would be hired away by the Carolina Panthers of the NFL. DAve Aranda would be hired from the National Champion LSU TIgers where he was the DC. His 1st year, 2-7 but he finds himself today with a 7-1 record with a well coached team on both sides of the ball. For 2021 Baylor replaced Larry Fedora with Jeff Grimes from BYU. Grimes has done an outstanding job building a very balanced offense. In contrast TEXAS is now on it's 3rd coaching staff since the departure of Mack Brown and none of them have provided real success. Mensa managed a 10 win season with a signature win over the Georgia Bulldogs but failed to win the conference or create an impressive team.
We've been harsh on Sark's play calling because he fails to consistently get his best players in a position to succeed. He is clearly focused on running "his" RPO offense regardless of talent. One of the reasons we loved Greg Davis, he fit the scheme to the talent. Despite an OL that is clearly the weak link, Casey is used as a drop back passer, very seldom (think we say it happen once Sat) not rolling out or asked bootleg to avoid the rush. BiJan has not been used in the passing game often despite his success running with the ball in space. Oddly, BiJan's best runs often come off the stretch play but Sark insists on calling inside zones. Kileen Robinson received his weekly token single jet sweep. Perhaps no play highlighted the lack of creativity as the last offensive play of the game. 4th and 10, granted always a tough call but our route tree saw 3 pass catchers within 10 yards of each other. None of them running deep to pull defenders away. We were pleased to see sustained drives in the 2nd half. What TEXAS lacked was pass catchers who could win the 50/50 ball. Sadly, every drop was for a 1st down or TD
Likely the #1 thing the Longhorns need to do is not panic, trust in Sark and keep this staff in tact for at least the next 3-4 seasons. Too much turnover, too many bad hires, too little consistency. Having said that, if you offered us a chance to trade staffs with Baylor, we'd have to think about it hard. Yes, that sounds odd given our criticisms of Sark and PK but we think/hope staffs grow with time. They grow and recruit players to fit their scheme. Today as it stands, TEXAS' staff is at best #4 or #5 in the conference. A sad reality. Now on defense, there is one name that is seriously missed. Joseph Ossai skipped his senior year to jump to the show and no one has come remotely close to taking his place. On defense the #1 thing missing is a true "take over the game disruptor". 2017 featured Poona Ford BigXII Defensive lineman of the year, 2018 was Charles Omenihu, Defensive lineman of the year, 2020 we saw an absolute beast in Jospeph Ossai BigXII Defensive player of the year. 2021, we doubt a single Longhorn makes the All Conference 2 deep, maybe DeMarvin Overshawn but the D is sorely missing a playmaker.
With this loss, any outside dream of sneaking into the conference title game is gone so next is finding 2 wins in the next 4 games to go bowling. It is time for players and staff to reach down and play for pride. We are in danger of the wheels coming off. Now some of the negative nellies will say "don't go to the bowl" but bowl games are good for 2 extra weeks of practice and this team seriously need as many reps as they can get. So the schedule is ISU, toss up at best, Kansas, they gave OU fits, WVU, just knocked off ISU and KSU T+1.
Another big decision looming for Sark. If he's seen enough that Casey is QB1 for 2022, then stay the course. But we really don't know what we have in Card and if he transfers, the QB room is down to CT, the greatest named Longhorn in TEXAS history, a preferred walk on and a true freshman in Malik who is a project at best. If he wants to test Card, Sark needs to find games to get him meaningful reps.
And in the next 6 weeks, can Sark keep this recruiting class together as well as landing 2-3 more OLs and a couple more DBs, not to mention a playmaking WR. And hopefully he's got a line on some spring portal candidates. We'd love to see 2 OLs
Offensive Player of the Game
Casey Thompson 23 of 38 (with 4 drops) 2 TDs and INT (not his fault) 280 yards. Top rusher for the Horns as well at 6.2 a carry
Defensive Player of the Game
BJ Foster's INT in the 1st quarter got the Horns off to an early lead.
Stats that Matter
On Deck
ISU at Ames. They dropped their game to WVU this weekend and their season is a disappointment from expectations but hanging a loss on TEXAS would be a nice salve for what ails them. Ames not an easy place to play. They have an outstanding RB, a senior QB and they use their TEs well. TEXAS will face an experienced well coached unit on both sides looking to salvage a signature win. Watch how they use their TEs in the game.
Fighting Mack Browns
Vs ND, UNC is outmatched and lost by 10. At 4-4, UNC needs 2 more wins to go bowling
Ranking the BigXII
#1 OU, currently on a 17 game win streak, longest in FCS currently. One day someone will push them out of this spot
#2 OSU, Bedlam looms, 2nd spot based on head to head win over Baylor
#3 Baylor, need help to get to the CCG
#4 ISU, just a nose ahead of #5. Big game for both teams, ISU one game from going bowling
#5 TEXAS, in danger of the wheels coming off. Need to win two more to go bowling.
#6 KSU same signature win as TEXAS, TCU Needs 1 win to go bowling
#7 WVU, #4-#7 can largely be taken in any order, nice win over ISU needs 2 more to go bowling
#8 TCU, Needs 3 wins to go bowling, we wager they don't make it.
#9 TT, Who is their next HC is the big question for TT but they are 1 win from bowl eligibility
#10 Kansas, who cares?
Playoff projections.
Tues they release the 1st projection officially, today our picks
#1 Georgia, they win the SEC, Bama is out. Bama wins the SEC, they are in.
#2 Sparty/Buckeye winner
#3 OU
#4 Cincinnati
Obviously assumes all win out
Just a bit outside
Oregon, they and tOSU win out, how do you measure head to head vs SOS
Wake Forest, unbeaten current favorite to win the ACC.
Picture getting much clearer for the playoffs.
Trick's on the Longhorns
One has to go back to 2016 and CFS' season of ineptitude to find the Longhorns on a 3 game losing streak. Let's make it worse, they have now blown double digit leads in all 3 games. This on their way to finishing October with a 1-3 record, the worst Oct for the Longhorns since 1988 under David McWilliams. Once again the Longhorns found a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, this time low lighted by a complete lack of execution on the part of the players. 4 dropped passes, all at critical points of the game and 2 turnovers which were 100% on pass catchers was the difference between victory and defeat. We've been hard on Sark and his playcalling. Coming off a bye he discovered what other teams use regularly, we can actually throw to the TEs. OTOH, any chance of BiJan getting invited to NYC for the Heisman awards were dashed as he had his worst game of his TEXAS career. Baylor basically said, we're taking BiJan out of the game, if you can beat us with Casey and everyone else, go for it. Sadly while Casey was up to the task, his teammates failed him. No other way to say it, players needed to make plays and it was clear Jordan Whittington's absence was deeply missed. Casey wasn't perfect. Pressure kept him from getting his feet set and he missed a wide open Washington in the end zone. He also made a couple of bad reads but he also made play after play to keep the Horns alive.
The contrast between Baylor's last 2 coaching hires and TEXAS' last 3 is stark. Art Briles would lead Baylor to 2 Conference titles but a major scandal would lead to his firing. Baylor then hired Matt Rhule from Temple. He would go 1-11 his first year, 7-6 his 2nd and 11-1 in the regular season of his 3rd year to play for the Conference title. He would be hired away by the Carolina Panthers of the NFL. DAve Aranda would be hired from the National Champion LSU TIgers where he was the DC. His 1st year, 2-7 but he finds himself today with a 7-1 record with a well coached team on both sides of the ball. For 2021 Baylor replaced Larry Fedora with Jeff Grimes from BYU. Grimes has done an outstanding job building a very balanced offense. In contrast TEXAS is now on it's 3rd coaching staff since the departure of Mack Brown and none of them have provided real success. Mensa managed a 10 win season with a signature win over the Georgia Bulldogs but failed to win the conference or create an impressive team.
We've been harsh on Sark's play calling because he fails to consistently get his best players in a position to succeed. He is clearly focused on running "his" RPO offense regardless of talent. One of the reasons we loved Greg Davis, he fit the scheme to the talent. Despite an OL that is clearly the weak link, Casey is used as a drop back passer, very seldom (think we say it happen once Sat) not rolling out or asked bootleg to avoid the rush. BiJan has not been used in the passing game often despite his success running with the ball in space. Oddly, BiJan's best runs often come off the stretch play but Sark insists on calling inside zones. Kileen Robinson received his weekly token single jet sweep. Perhaps no play highlighted the lack of creativity as the last offensive play of the game. 4th and 10, granted always a tough call but our route tree saw 3 pass catchers within 10 yards of each other. None of them running deep to pull defenders away. We were pleased to see sustained drives in the 2nd half. What TEXAS lacked was pass catchers who could win the 50/50 ball. Sadly, every drop was for a 1st down or TD
Likely the #1 thing the Longhorns need to do is not panic, trust in Sark and keep this staff in tact for at least the next 3-4 seasons. Too much turnover, too many bad hires, too little consistency. Having said that, if you offered us a chance to trade staffs with Baylor, we'd have to think about it hard. Yes, that sounds odd given our criticisms of Sark and PK but we think/hope staffs grow with time. They grow and recruit players to fit their scheme. Today as it stands, TEXAS' staff is at best #4 or #5 in the conference. A sad reality. Now on defense, there is one name that is seriously missed. Joseph Ossai skipped his senior year to jump to the show and no one has come remotely close to taking his place. On defense the #1 thing missing is a true "take over the game disruptor". 2017 featured Poona Ford BigXII Defensive lineman of the year, 2018 was Charles Omenihu, Defensive lineman of the year, 2020 we saw an absolute beast in Jospeph Ossai BigXII Defensive player of the year. 2021, we doubt a single Longhorn makes the All Conference 2 deep, maybe DeMarvin Overshawn but the D is sorely missing a playmaker.
With this loss, any outside dream of sneaking into the conference title game is gone so next is finding 2 wins in the next 4 games to go bowling. It is time for players and staff to reach down and play for pride. We are in danger of the wheels coming off. Now some of the negative nellies will say "don't go to the bowl" but bowl games are good for 2 extra weeks of practice and this team seriously need as many reps as they can get. So the schedule is ISU, toss up at best, Kansas, they gave OU fits, WVU, just knocked off ISU and KSU T+1.
Another big decision looming for Sark. If he's seen enough that Casey is QB1 for 2022, then stay the course. But we really don't know what we have in Card and if he transfers, the QB room is down to CT, the greatest named Longhorn in TEXAS history, a preferred walk on and a true freshman in Malik who is a project at best. If he wants to test Card, Sark needs to find games to get him meaningful reps.
And in the next 6 weeks, can Sark keep this recruiting class together as well as landing 2-3 more OLs and a couple more DBs, not to mention a playmaking WR. And hopefully he's got a line on some spring portal candidates. We'd love to see 2 OLs
Offensive Player of the Game
Casey Thompson 23 of 38 (with 4 drops) 2 TDs and INT (not his fault) 280 yards. Top rusher for the Horns as well at 6.2 a carry
Defensive Player of the Game
BJ Foster's INT in the 1st quarter got the Horns off to an early lead.
Stats that Matter
- 362 Cameron Dicker became the all time leading scorer for the Horns among kickers.
- 5 blown 4th quarter leads by the Horns over the past 2 years. WORST in FCS
- 3 of 14 TEXAS on 3rd down. UGH
- 3.5/4.7 TEXAS average gain per rush vs Baylor
- 1-3 Worst Oct record since 1988 under David McWilliams
- 62-16 Dating back to TCU, how badly the Horns have been outscored in the 4th quarter
On Deck
ISU at Ames. They dropped their game to WVU this weekend and their season is a disappointment from expectations but hanging a loss on TEXAS would be a nice salve for what ails them. Ames not an easy place to play. They have an outstanding RB, a senior QB and they use their TEs well. TEXAS will face an experienced well coached unit on both sides looking to salvage a signature win. Watch how they use their TEs in the game.
Fighting Mack Browns
Vs ND, UNC is outmatched and lost by 10. At 4-4, UNC needs 2 more wins to go bowling
Ranking the BigXII
#1 OU, currently on a 17 game win streak, longest in FCS currently. One day someone will push them out of this spot
#2 OSU, Bedlam looms, 2nd spot based on head to head win over Baylor
#3 Baylor, need help to get to the CCG
#4 ISU, just a nose ahead of #5. Big game for both teams, ISU one game from going bowling
#5 TEXAS, in danger of the wheels coming off. Need to win two more to go bowling.
#6 KSU same signature win as TEXAS, TCU Needs 1 win to go bowling
#7 WVU, #4-#7 can largely be taken in any order, nice win over ISU needs 2 more to go bowling
#8 TCU, Needs 3 wins to go bowling, we wager they don't make it.
#9 TT, Who is their next HC is the big question for TT but they are 1 win from bowl eligibility
#10 Kansas, who cares?
Playoff projections.
Tues they release the 1st projection officially, today our picks
#1 Georgia, they win the SEC, Bama is out. Bama wins the SEC, they are in.
#2 Sparty/Buckeye winner
#3 OU
#4 Cincinnati
Obviously assumes all win out
Just a bit outside
Oregon, they and tOSU win out, how do you measure head to head vs SOS
Wake Forest, unbeaten current favorite to win the ACC.
Picture getting much clearer for the playoffs.
